I keep tylenol on hand at all times, especially due to my youngest daughters horrible ear infections. Two weeks ago, i had to give DD2 (Makaya) some tylenol and thats when it all began. 10 year old DD (Madelie) wanted some too and i told her i wasn't going to give her medicine just because and so for the last two weeks she fakes it horribly. We can be watching TV as a family and all the sudden she'll get up and go lay down in the middle of the floor and cry because her head hurts, all while doing this dramatic pose with her hand on her head and can't even make a real tear. The first time it happened i gave her medicine because she had never faked it before, and then it kept happening and now i've had to leave work and go to the school multiple times because apparently shes suffering from "migraines". I'm not saying her head might not hurt at times but if someone mentions medicine or the doctor, its like immediate pain for her. But once you give her medicine, the head ache disapears instantly, not even a 5 minute wait and shes acting fine again. Once i caught on to what she was doing, i bought grape flavor (she hates grape) and told her if it hurt bad enough she would suck it up and take it, and the threat of grape always made her head aches dissapear.

Tonight, she was in the bathroom and taking forever (i'm talking 10 minutes+) and so i finally knocked on the door and she tried to lock it, and when i got in she had a step stool to the cabinet and had poured tylenol into a cup. I'm talking ALOT of tylenol. She said she just wanted a little bit cause its not fair that Makaya always gets tylenol and she doesn't. She got her butt spanked and sent to her room but what the hell!? my 10 year old shouldn't be THAT into getting some damn tylenol that shes going to try and overdose, and i now have to lock medicine in my husbands gun safe to keep it from her. I kept the medicine on a shelf that even i have to stand on tippy toes to get it. I understand that at 4 or 5, she may think its candy and want some but at 10 she damn well knew it wasn't candy and knew exactly what she was doing was wrong which is why she got spanked and grounded.

I'm kinda in shock, i wasn't expecting to see my 10 year old that desperite for medicine.

She even admitted after she got punished that she was making it up because she wanted some.

Shes not getting medicine for head aches again until shes mature enough to know medicines not candy and shes not going to drink it like that.

I'm sure some anon is going to tell me how horrible i am and that its obviously my fault my kids got some kind of stupid tylenol addiction but if i was abusing it i would have given it to her and obviously shes not getting it if she has to sneak it.

What would you do? She knows medicines not candy, she knows what she did was wrong thats why she was crying as soon as i opened the door because she knew she was in trouble.

Am i wrong for not giving her tylenol when she complains she hurts?

And, Makaya does NOT get tylenol alot either. Shes had horrible ear infections since she was two and the doctor refuses to give her tubes and so its a constant battle with anti biotics to treat it and tylenol for the pain.